Criopreservación de células estromales derivadas del tejido adiposo: comparación de diferentes medios de criopreservación / Cryopreservation of adipose derived stromal cells: comparison of different cryopreservation media

Objetivo Obtener células estromales derivadas del tejido adiposo, medir y comparar las tasas de viabilidad antes e inmediatamente después un ciclo de criopreservación con diferentes combinaciones de criopreservantes de manera de obtener el mejor medio de criopreservación. Material y método Medición de la tasa de viabilidad poscriopreservación de células estromales derivadas del tejido adiposo obtenidas de 5 pacientes utilizando medios definidos (DMEM/Ham F12) libres de suero bovino y suplementados con una de los siguientes combinaciones de compuestos: dimetilsulfóxido (DMSO) 10%; DMSO 10% + trehalosa 7,6%; DMSO 10% + albúmina humana 10% y DMSO 10% + trehalosa 7,6% + albúmina humana 10%, mediante citometría de flujo con ioduro de propidio. Resultados No existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las tasas de viabilidad de las células estromales posterior a un ciclo de criopreservación. Sin embargo, se observa una tendencia a mejorar la tasa de recuperación de células vitales al agregar albúmina humana. Conclusiones No se observaron diferencias significativas entre las condiciones estudiadas, sugiriendo que ninguna es superior a las demás en cuanto a rendimiento. Es así como podemos afirmar que la criopreservación de las células estromales derivadas del tejido adiposo en un medio que combine DMEM/F12 con DMSO 10% + trehalosa 7,6% + albúmina humana 10% no logra una tasa de recuperación de células vitales significativamente mayor que las congeladas solo con DMSO 10%.

Aim To obtain stromal cells derived from adipose tissue, to measure and compare viability rates before and immediately after cryopreservation cycle, using different combinations of cryoprotective agents in order to identify the best cryopreservation medium. Material and method Viability rate after cryopreservation of stromal cells derived from adipose tissue were assessed by flow cytometry with propidium iodide. Samples of stromal cells obtained from 5 patients were kept defined, bovine serum-free media (DMEM/Ham-F12), supplemented with one of the following combinations of compounds: 10% dymethylsulfoxide (DMSO); Trehalose 10% DMSO + 7.6%; 10% DMSO + 10% human albumin and 10% DMSO + 7.6% Trehalose + 10% human albumin. Results No statistically significant differences were observed in the viability rates of stromal cells derived from adipose tissue after a cryopreservation cycle. However, we observed a tendency towards improvement of recovery rate when human albumin was added to the medium. Conclusions None of the studied conditions proved superior to others in terms of cell vitality after a cryopreservation cycle. Hence, we conclude that the cryopreservation of stromal cells derived from adipose tissue in an environment that combines DMEM/F12 with 10% DMSO + 7.6% Trehalose + human albumin 10% does not achieve a significantly higher recovery rate than only frozen solely with DMSO 10%.

Multicellular spheroids of bone marrow stromal cells: a three-dimensional in vitro culture system for the study of hematopoietic cell migration

Cell fate decisions are governed by a complex interplay between cell-autonomous signals and stimuli from the surrounding tissue. In vivo cells are connected to their neighbors and to the extracellular matrix forming a complex three-dimensional (3-D) microenvironment that is not reproduced in conventional in vitro systems. A large body of evidence indicates that mechanical tension applied to the cytoskeleton controls cell proliferation, differentiation and migration, suggesting that 3-D in vitro culture systems that mimic the in vivo situation would reveal biological subtleties. In hematopoietic tissues, the microenvironment plays a crucial role in stem and progenitor cell survival, differentiation, proliferation, and migration. In adults, hematopoiesis takes place inside the bone marrow cavity where hematopoietic cells are intimately associated with a specialized three 3-D scaffold of stromal cell surfaces and extracellular matrix that comprise specific niches. The relationship between hematopoietic cells and their niches is highly dynamic. Under steady-state conditions, hematopoietic cells migrate within the marrow cavity and circulate in the bloodstream. The mechanisms underlying hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell homing and mobilization have been studied in animal models, since conventional two-dimensional (2-D) bone marrow cell cultures do not reproduce the complex 3-D environment. In this review, we will highlight some of the mechanisms controlling hematopoietic cell migration and 3-D culture systems.

Hematopoietic Differentiation of Embryoid Bodies Derived from the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Line SNUhES3 in Co-culture with Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells can be induced to differentiate into hematopoietic precursor cells via two methods: the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) and co-culture with mouse bone marrow (BM) stromal cells. In this study, the above two methods have been combined by co-culture of human ES-cell-derived EBs with human BM stromal cells. The efficacy of this method was compared with that using EB formation alone. The undifferentiated human ES cell line SNUhES3 was allowed to form EBs for two days, then EBs were induced to differentiate in the presence of a different serum concentration (EB and EB/high FBS group), or co- cultured with human BM stromal cells (EB/BM co-culture group). Flow cytometry and hematopoietic colony-forming assays were used to assess hematopoietic differentiation in the three groups. While no significant increase of CD34+/CD45- or CD34+/CD38- cells was noted in the three groups on days 3 and 5, the percentage of CD34+/CD45- cells and CD34+/ CD38- cells was significantly higher in the EB/BM co-culture group than in the EB and EB/high FBS groups on day 10. The number of colony-forming cells (CFCs) was increased in the EB/BM co-culture group on days 7 and 10, implying a possible role for human BM stromal cells in supporting hematopoietic differentiation from human ES cell-derived EBs. These results demonstrate that co-culture of human ES-cell-derived EBs with human BM stromal cells might lead to more efficient hematopoietic differentiation from human ES cells cultured alone. Further study is warranted to evaluate the underlying mechanism.

Células mononucleares de sangue de cordão umbilical e de sangue periférico estimulado com fator de crescimento granulocítico (G-CSF): análise da proliferação e de apoptose in vitro / Mononuclear cells of umbilical cord blood and of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: analyses of proliferation and apoptosis in vitro

Células mononucleares de sangue de cordão umbilical (SCU) e sangue periférico mobilizado (SPM) com G-CSF, foram cultivadas in vitro com citocinas, na presença ou não de estroma de medula óssea. Os objetivos foram avaliar a capacidade proliferativa de células progenitoras, a ocorrência de apoptose e expressão de integrina. Nas culturas sem estroma, a celularidade aumentou 5 vezes (SCU) e não se alterou nas de SPM. O total de células CD34+ caiu em ambas culturas. Com estroma, o total de células nucleadas aumentou 7 vezes (SCU) e 2,3 vezes (SPM). O total de células CD34+ permaneceu o mesmo. A apoptose foi menor nas culturas de SCU. A expressão de integrina caiu, na população de células CD34+ e de CD45+ / Mononuclear cells from umbilical cord blood (UCB) and G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood (MPB), were cultured in vitro, in the presence of cytokines, with or without bone marrow stroma. The aims were to evaluate the proliferative response of progenitor cells, occurrence of apoptosis and expression of adhesion molecule. In cultures without stroma, cellularity increased 5-fold for UCB, but has not changed for MPB. The number of CD34+ cells has dropped in both culture. With stroma, total nucleated cells had a 7-fold increse (UCB) and a 2,3-fold (MBP), however, CD34+ cells number has not changed. Apoptosis was lower in UCB culture. The expression of integrin decreased, in the...

Gap junctions in cells of the immune system: structure, regulation and possible functional roles

Gap junction channels are sites of cytoplasmic communication between contacting cells. In vertebrates, they consist of protein subunits denoted connexins (Cxs) which are encoded by a gene family. According to their Cx composition, gap junction channels show different gating and permeability properties that define which ions and small molecules permeate them. Differences in Cx primary sequences suggest that channels composed of different Cxs are regulated differentially by intracellular pathways under specific physiological conditions. Functional roles of gap junction channels could be defined by the relative importance of permeant substances, resulting in coordination of electrical and/or metabolic cellular responses. Cells of the native and specific immune systems establish transient homo- and heterocellular contacts at various steps of the immune response. Morphological and functional studies reported during the last three decades have revealed that many intercellular contacts between cells in the immune response present gap junctions or "gap junction-like" structures. Partial characterization of the molecular composition of some of these plasma membrane structures and regulatory mechanisms that control them have been published recently. Studies designed to elucidate their physiological roles suggest that they might permit coordination of cellular events which favor the effective and timely response of the immune system

The hematopoietic stroma

All blood cells are derived from a small common pool of totipotent cells, called hematopoietic stem cells. The process is strictly regulated by the hematopoietic microenvironment, which includes stromal cells, extracellular matrix molecules and soluble regulatory factors. Several experimental in vitro assays have been developed for the study of hematopoietic differentiation, and have provided valuable information on the stroma, which includes, among other cell types, macrophages, fibroblasts, adipocytes, and endothelial cells. The composition, ontogeny, and function in physiological as well as pathological conditions of stroma are discussed

Hydrocortisone regulates types I and III collagen gene expression and collagen synthesis in human marrow stromal cells

Hematopoiesis is the resultant of the orderly molecular and cellular interactions between progenitor cells and stroma. In vitro studies (Dexter-type cultures) have shown that initiation of hematopoiesis only occurs after establishment of a hydrocortisone-dependent layer of stromal cells. Although the molecular basis for the requirement of hydrocortisone are not well understood, data have shown that synthesis/assembly of extracellular matrix molecules (proteoglycans and fibronectin) is regulated by hydrocortisone. Since interstitial collagens are abundantly expressed in the marrow stroma, we investigated whether hydrocortisone may also modulate the expression of collagen types I and III. For these studies, human bone marrow fibroblast cultures were grown in standard culture medium either in the absence or presence of 10(-7) M hydrocortisone. Under both conditions, bone marrow fibroblasts synthesized collagen types I and III, and expressed the respective genes. However, hydrocortisone produced a decrease in the synthesis of interstitial collagens and also in the relative abundance of pro-alpha 1(I) and pro-alpha 1(III) mRNAs. The results of this study are consistent with the assumption that glucocorticoids regulate the expression of several extracellular matrix molecules in the marrow stroma and thus permit in vitro hematopoiesis to occur